Despite being bruised and beaten, Manny Pacquiao stated that he was feeling okay after being knocked out in the sixth round by Mexican boxing standout Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday night at the MGM Grand.

Congressman and boxer Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, and the evening's guest host, poses at the North American premiere of the Filipino film "The Road" at the Arclight Hollywood Theater in Los Angeles. (May 9, 2012) (Photo : Reuters)

Despite being bruised and beaten, Manny Pacquiao stated that he was feeling okay after being knocked out in the sixth round by Mexican boxing standout Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday night at the MGM Grand.

After suffering his second straight loss, many people have speculated whether Pacquiao would begin to mull over retiring. However, the well-known Filipino fighter did say that although he’d be taking a break, he would eventually return to the ring.

Just hours after his shocking loss to Marquez, Pacquiao issued the following statement to his fans:

“To all my fans, I would like to thank you for your prayers and assure you that I am fine. I am looking forward to a nice rest and then I will be back to fight. On behalf of (his wife) Jinkee and our family we would like to wish everyone a joyous Christmas and a happy and healthy new year.”

The future hall of fame boxer was taken to the ground by a rapid right hand with just a mere second left in the sixth round, which resulted in a KO. Pacquiao had already been brought to the canvas in the third.

Officials initially had concerns that the fighter may have suffered a potential concussion. However, their worries were soon ruled out after a precautionary CT scan was conducted at the University Medical Center hospital upon the end of the bout.

“The results are negative. We were in and out in just over an hour and Manny was in excellent spirits,” said Pacquiao’s advisor, Michael Koncz, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Marquez was clearly motivated to prevail against Pacquiao after firmly stating that he’d been “robbed” by the judges in his last three bouts against him.

Thirteen months prior, Pacquiao had put up a sub-par performance in his third fight against Marquez and narrowly retained his WBO welterweight crown. Soon after in June, Pacquiao lost a widely debated split decision to Timothy Bradley, which was his first loss since Erik Morales beat him in March 2005.

Featured Videos

From Our Partners

Two nations looking to return to form will do battle today in an international friendly between Argentina and Ecuador. The match scheduled for 3 p.m. ET will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on beIN Sports en Español.

Two nations looking to return to form will do battle today in an international friendly between Portugal and Cape Verde. The match scheduled for 4:45 p.m. ET will be held at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota in Estoril and can be live streamed here free. There is no additional TV coverage for this match in the United States.